Included in the The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies Readers’ Theatre Unit:
5 page script
5 characters
3 Narrators
15 Comprehension Questions with Answers
Student Success Criteria page
Student Friendly Goals page
Teacher’s Reader’s Theatre Checklist

The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies synopsis:
Written in 1909 by Beatrix Potter, Benjamin Bunny and his cousin Flopsy are now married with six young rabbits. When the hungry Flopsy Bunnies raid Mr. McGregor’s rubbish heap for vegetables, they fall asleep and are captured. Their fate rests with a resourceful woodmouse named Thomasina Tittlemouse, who must act before Mr. McGregor carries them away in his sack for dinner. Will Thomasina be able to help the Flopsy Bunnies in time?

Do not fear the reader’s theater format. Students love these adapted stories because they are listening to the story and they are a part of the story by playing a character within the story.

Reader’s theatre inspires reluctant readers to join in the fun. The strongest and most advanced readers in your class will encourage other students to raise their hand and participate in the story. I also use reader’s theatre to add to my drama marks.

If the reader’s theatre format did not work for my students and I, then I would have stopped creating and adapting them years ago.

Reluctant readers sometimes feel anxious looking at pages of text, whereas a reader’s theater script is broken up into narration and different characters speaking, thus making the story more accessible to those students who have not discovered the incredibly fun activity of reading for entertainment.

I use shorter stories with minimal characters in literature circles.When can one make time for a reader’s theatre story in class?

When I am not reading a reader’s theatre unit with my class, I usually reserve Friday’s for the reading of a one-off story. It is an event that the class looks forward to, since they do not know which story I will choose. Great for Librarians and small groups. I project the stories on the screen and assign characters in class. Some characters only have 1 line. A supporting character like that is perfect for a reluctant reader.

I have read these stories remotely/online and in class/in-person.

I encourage teachers and instructors to allow students to practice their parts at home before they read in front of the class. They can try different voices and tones when they practice. It is also good for family bonding time. The student’s parent/guardian can play another role and they can read together.

I hope you, and your students enjoy reading The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies and continue to do so for many years.
Excelsior!
Mr. Marvel: The King of Reader’s Theatre